Why Ogbonnaya Onu makes sense

Every politician matters. But some matter much more than others because of their scope of influence within their political circle. Ogbonnaya Onu, Nigeria’s incumbent Science and Technology Minister, is one such politician who, though not boisterous in speech, is deeply loud in thought and action. He has a mind that is deeply focused on results, which come from planning.

Sometime before December of 2015, while still basking in the euphoria of the All Progressives Congress (APC) electoral feat against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Onu publicly presented a book to Nigerians. It was a book he authored. The book documented the actions and activities that led to the formation of the APC. The presentation took place at the Shehu Yar’Adua Center in Abuja. I was seated among the crowd that witnessed the event. Title of the book? Yes, I remember. It is “From Opposition to Governing Party: The APC Merger Story.” And that was the first time I saw President Muhammadu Buhari attend a book launch. I had earlier argued with a friend that the President was too busy to attend a mere book launch. But he proved me wrong.

I was left in awe by commendations that poured Dr. Onu’s way at the book presentation. And I left the event proud that Onu was Igbo. The summary of the testimonials that flew in from almost every mouth at the event was that, without Dr. Onu, APC couldn’t have been born. The narratives were of how Dr. Onu initiated the first moves to create the first political parties merger as the only and most viable way to defeat PDP in the 2015 general election. Many did not see the possibilities that he saw long before he made his first moves. They doubted him. But they were soon to think along with him when they started seeing what he saw long before them. As the possibilities opened up due to his realistic, systematic and pragmatic approaches, Dr. Onu knew that PDP’s defeat was only a few months away.

Believing strongly in his dreams, Onu opened discussions with Buhari of the CPC. They exchanged ideas and ideals. They worked on the opportunities that a merger presented and soon agreed that Onu’s ANPP and CPC could work together. But there was another issues, how to bring South-West into the merger. At the time, the South-West was firmly in the grips of AC, owned by Bola Tinubu. Onu led the charge. Talks opened. Onu remained positive on the outcomes. He saw opportunities where some conservative allies saw roadblocks. He did not relent. Soon, AC collapsed into the merger and APC was born. The rest of the story is captured in Dr. Onu’s book. Onu was strategic to the formation of APC. He provided a template that turned the party into a mass movement, which enveloped Nigeria and offered hope. The rest, as they say, is history.

It is immaterial that APC has derailed itself. But the founding ideals of the party were egalitarian. The party envisioned a Nigeria governed on the principles of equity and justice, in line with Dr. Onu’s belief that politics must be an avenue to serve the people, not to be served by the people. Onu envisioned a country governed in accordance with the best principles of leadership and not one that is ruled by anyone. That vision was the reason he was deliberate in using the word ‘governing party’ in the title of his book rather than ‘ruling party’. He told his audience on that day in December 2015 that Nigeria ought to be governed and not ruled. Somehow, the expressions of government between then and now proves Onu’s preference for governing right.

The 2015 event was not the first time Dr. Onu would document his journey in politics. After he was unceremoniously removed from office as the governor of Abia State in 1993 by the military, like all other elected governors of the period, Onu, unlike all the others, wrote an account of his 22-month stewardship to Abia State and had it published in a 24-page booklet, which he ensured was made available to Abia people both in Nigeria and in the diaspora. It was an unprecedented act. He did not fall back to rue how the military treated him and the others. Rather, he had the strength of mind to write a memoir of his stewardship. He also had it published. It was titled “A Footprint: Memoirs of a Chief Servant.”

Till date, he remains the only governor of the Class of 1992 to immediately author a memoir of his stewardship. That says something about Onu’s strength of character, focus and leadership ideals.

Interestingly, Dr. Onu did not develop his ideals out of the blues. He did so following the legendary Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, unarguably the best leader yet out of the old Eastern Region. Many did not know that Onu had sought Okpara’s blessings before his venture into politics. His eyes were on the Senate at the time. But with the changes in reality, it seems the time has come for Onu’s eyes to see the presidency too.

Learning at Dr. M.I. Okpara’s feet is a super-masterclass. His pragmatic leadership created something out of nothing in the Eastern Region and made its economy the fastest growing economy in the world at the time. It was such that the current Asian giants looked at the Okpara government to borrow reasons to have a government. Those have been Onu’s guiding principles in his quest for a better-governed Nigeria. He espoused these much during his days as presidential candidate of the ANPP and further sought to turn those ideals into a new vision for the party. This is what has endeared him to President Buhari and many progressively minded Nigerians who, like him, seek a better country out of Nigeria.

As Minister of Science and Technology since 2015, Onu has remained dedicated to the visions of his party for the technological advancement of the country. Sometimes, it is difficult to remember that he is still in the Buhari cabinet because he harbours no such odds that make sensation for news hunters. Each time he has been in the news, it has always been for reasons of sharing his achievements, visions, possibilities and things that abound in the technological field and to encourage Nigerians to take advantage. That is exactly what leaders do, open doors of possibilities for investors.

As it is now, the search is on for who among the array of possibles the South-East offers to use to push for the presidential pendulum to swing to the region in 2023. My mind keeps referring to Onu as a most qualified candidate. I believe that he has all that it takes to make a good President. He is calm. He is mature. He is educated. He is deeply respected across the divide and he has a very deep understanding of statecraft. He is a man of integrity and is not ruled by the inordinate political desires. Above all, he is untainted by corrupt practices. To my mind, he is a most suitable answer to the question, often derisively asked, about who, among South-East politicians, is best suited to fly the presidential flag when eventually the pendulum swings to the South as it is expected of the APC.

Onu is one of the South-East’s best legs. The South-East must, therefore, begin to take a firm position on its leadership selection process such that the best of the best becomes the face of the region’s strategic leadership quest.

Of recent, we have read of political and traditional leaders in the South-West marketing and drumming support for a particular politician. Such subtle mentions have had a hold on the public psyche, making many people to think that the 2023 leadership selection process has been narrowed to the SouthWest. This sort of narrative is sustained by the silence of other stakeholders who tend to think that 2023 is far off. It is actually a matter of a few more months. The 2023 presidential election will hold in February. That is some 19 months away. This is the most appropriate time for the South-East to make that necessary push, build alliances with other interests and narrow the search for its best leg to the like of Onu who comes into the fray without baggage.